Missed
by Ficalicious
Summary: Letter "M" in the Alphabet Series. Bones has been on a trip. Booth welcomes her home.


**Missed**

**The letter "m" in the Alphabet Series. Bones comes back from a trip. Booth welcomes her home. Not mine. Never were. Wish I could change that!**

Throngs of people spilled out into the large area. Some were weighted down with suitcases, souvenirs, jackets. Others had only a briefcase; business men flying in for the day. There were people crying, laughing, and hugging. Eyes eagerly searching the crowd for a familiar face.

Special Agent Seeley Booth was one of them, impatiently standing at the gate, waiting to lay his eyes on his partner. He wasn't sure if he was expecting a happy reunion as his partner didn't know that he was there to pick her up and she rarely appreciated when he tried to take care of her.

It was late; nearly 2am, and Booth ran a hand over his stubble. Maybe he should have shaved when he'd gone home to change. He didn't think on it long as his eyes spotted a familiar head of auburn hair attached to an equally familiar face making its way through the crowd.

"Bones!" He called, pushing his way past a group of women intent on flooding the airport with their tears. "Bones!" He called again, this time managing to garner her attention. He grinned as her head swiveled and her beautiful azure eyes locked on him in surprise.

"Booth?"

"Hey Bones, how was the trip?" He gave her his charm smile, waiting for her to tell him off.

"What are you doing here?" She asked. Booth's smile grew. _Here it comes._

"Cant a guy pick up his partner? I missed you Bones."

"Oh," she said softly. "I missed you too, Booth. But I was really only away for a week, so this seems slightly oversentimental, even for you."

"That's sweet Bones. You think I'm sentimental. Here, let me take your bag." He was taken aback when Brennan simply handed him her dusty hiking pack. Swinging it over his shoulder he grunted at the weight of it and, not for the first time, marveled at how strong she was. "I'm parked this way." He nodded in the direction of the car park and started walking.

Just over a week before, Bones had received a phone call from an old professor. He wanted her to lend her expertise to a student hike and dig. He wanted Bones to share her knowledge of working on crime scenes, helping the students learn correct protocol from a forensic standpoint.

Of course she had said yes, much to Booth's dismay. It wasn't his idea of a good time to be climbing up a mountain with a 40kg pack on his back. But Bones had always had strange interests and that was part of why he loved her.

Glancing to his side he realized Bones was a few steps behind. She was limping.

"What's wrong?" His concern for her exploded like a fire ball in his gut. His eyes quickly ran over her, checking for injuries. He couldn't deny, now that he was paying close attention, that she was filthy; her clothes covered with dust and sweat. She was paler than usual and she looked exhausted. Booth had to fight the instinct to drop her pack and carry her instead. He was certain that she wouldn't appreciate that.

"I have some blisters on my feet." She said slowly. "They are causing me some pain when I walk."

"Blisters?" Booth almost laughed. If Brennan hadn't looked in so much pain or so miserable, he probably would have.

"Yes. I have kept my boots on for the last two days because they are very inflamed. I believe that they may be infected at this stage, and removing the boot is incredibly painful. I will soak them when I get home." She gave him a look that clearly told him to drop the issue.

"Alright, alright. Let's get you home then." Booth hefted her bag once more and slowly led the way through the terminal and out to the car park. He tried not to make it obvious that he was slowing his pace so that she could keep up.

He put her bag in the back while Brennan climbed into the passenger seat with a sigh of relief. Climbing in, he started the engine and they were off.

"So how was the trip?" He asked lightly, hoping to take her mind off her pain.

"It was quite informative. I must admit that I was apprehensive about working with students but they were quite receptive to my knowledge and they learned quickly."

"That's good, right?"

"Yes. It is good, Booth."

"Did you want to get some Thai? We can do pizza? You must be starving after only having camping food for a week."

"It's late Booth. I doubt that anything would be open. Besides, I think I would like to have a shower and go to sleep."

"I'll get a pizza delivered. They're always open. We can go back to my place."

"Booth…" Brennan sighed, her voice wearier than Booth had ever heard it.

"Bones?"

"I really just want to shower and go to bed."

"You can shower at my place. You won't have any fresh food at your place – you've been away. And I want to take a look at your feet. They will probably need to be cleaned."

"I am more than perfectly capable of cleaning my feet, Booth." Brennan argued indignantly.

"I know. But you're coming back to my place all the same. No arguments." He gave her his charm smile, and saw that she was staring out the window. He frowned. It wasn't like her not to argue with him. But if it meant that he was going to get his way – well, he could live with that. He realized, though, that she was obviously exhausted and in pain. He would do what he could to make her feel better.

He pulled in at his apartment, helped Bones out of the car, got them upstairs and put her pack on the floor.

"You can use the shower, Bones, while I order food."

"Booth, all my clothes are filthy. This is why I wanted to go home." She sighed.

"Not a problem." Booth quickly walked to his bedroom, grabbed out a t shirt and some sweats and brought them back to her. "You can wear these."

Bones sighed again but gave in and took the proffered clothes with her to the bathroom. When Booth heard the water turn on he placed the order for their pizzas. With that done he went in search of his first aid kit.

Booth was watching the television when Brennan appeared, swathed in his clothes. Booth's breath hitched as he took in the sight of her – hair wet, shirt and sweats too big, her eyes exhausted. She was gorgeous.

"Feel better?" He asked with a smile.

"Somewhat. It is nice to be clean.

"The food should be here soon. How about I have a look at those feet of yours?" Booth got up and gestured for Bones to sit down. He watched her tentatively walk over and sit.

"They're really hurting, aren't they?" He asked, concerned. Bones nodded.

"Yes. It was quite painful to remove my boots and the hot water of the shower proved to be quite uncomfortable."

"Right, well let's get some stuff on them and bandage them up." He opened the first aid kit and removed sterile wipes, antiseptic cream and gauze. "This might hurt a little," he warned, lifting her delicate foot into his lap and gently running his finger over the arch.

Brennan nodded and watched intently.

Booth turned her foot and finally got a look at the state of her heel. It was an angry red and several layers of skin had swollen, torn and pulled back. What was left was an exposed, infected, painful welt. He swallowed, feeling her pain.

"I'll go as gently as I can," he promised. Brennan nodded bravely.

Booth opened one of the sterile wipes and gently ran it across the back of her heel. Brennan hissed and Booth frowned, hating that he was causing her further pain. He made sure to clean the entire area, knowing that if he didn't do it now it would only be worse later. He glanced at the wipe and saw that it had taken several pieces of skin with it as well as blood and grime. He was no doctor, but he had to agree that her feet were infected.

His eyes caught Brennan's and he could see she was swallowing tears. He gave her a supportive smile.

"Almost done, I promise."

"Just do what you have to do, Booth."

He nodded and quickly applied the antiseptic cream. It had a numbing agent which he could tell helped immediately as the relief flooded Brennan's face. Affixing the gauze and tape he gently placed her foot down and picked up the other. He repeated the process, taking great care to be gentle. When he was done he was loathe relinquishing her warm foot. His eyes caught Brennan's and held. He saw a mixture of emotions there. Confusion, lust, pain, exhaustion. He was about to say something when the bell rang.

"That'll be the food." Climbing to his feet he went to the door. Glancing over his shoulder he saw the disappointment on Brennan's face and wondered if he should have ignored the bell and kissed her. But there was a loud rumble across the room as Brennan's stomach let them know she was well and truly hungry.

"Here we go!" Booth grinned, plopping the pizza on the coffee table. Brennan tucked right in, ignoring social constructs and taking a large bite of her piece.

"Hungry, Bones?" Booth smirked. She was adorable when she let herself go.

"Yes. I find that all of a sudden I am starving."

"Good thing I ordered extra. You want a beer?"

"I think that alcohol would put me to sleep. Water would be fine. Thank you."

Booth got himself a beer and a glass of water for Brennan. Coming back to the living room he found her starting on her second piece of pizza.

"What has been happening here since I was gone?" She asked around her pizza. Booth grinned again and took a sip of his beer.

"Not a whole lot. Just some small stuff but nothing really interesting. I've been at my desk most of the week. Seems like the FBI doesn't want to let me out unless you're by my side."

"I suppose that they recognize that we are the best at what we do. It would be negligent of them to allow untrained personal to attempt our cases."

"Sure thing, Bones."

"I am curious, Booth, as to where I am going to sleep tonight." Brennan said just as casually as she had been talking about their cases. It took several seconds for Booth's brain to process her question.

"Well, I was going to let you sleep in my bed, Bones. I'll sleep on the couch."

Brennan frowned, dissatisfied with that.

"Booth, you know that sleeping on the couch hurts your back. That is ridiculous." Booth laughed.

"You know, Bones, I feel like we have had this argument a million times before. Where do _you _want to sleep?"

"I must admit that the prospect of sleeping in a bed after being in a tent this past week seems most appealing. However, I don't wish you to be uncomfortable sleeping on the couch. I suggest that we share your bed."

"Is that right?" Booth tried to keep the amusement and arousal out of his voice. He wasn't going to lie to himself. He'd love to sleep with Bones. But he also found the matter of fact way she went about things highly amusing.

"Yes. We are both consenting adults. Your bed is of an ample size. I don't think the fact that we are attracted to one another should mean that we cannot be mature and share a bed. We have shared beds before."

"You're right." Booth agreed, trying not to get hung up on the bit about them being attracted to one another. There was no point denying it. They were both well aware of the attraction and kept dancing around the issue. At some point one of them would either have to make a proper move or they would just have to get over it.

"You sleep on the left or the right?" Booth asked with a chuckle. He stood and picked up the pizza box. "Stay there Bones, I don't want you walking on those feet."

"I'm perfectly ca-."

"Don't."

Booth smirked, enjoying the shock on her face and the fact that she actually stayed put. He cleaned up the pizza and his beer bottle and her glass. Once it was all cleaned up he moved back to the sofa and scooped Brennan up into his arms.

"Oh!" Her surprised gasp made him smile, and the feel of her arms going around his neck to hold herself up made him hard. She was soft and warm and smelled like soap and shampoo. But most of all, she was there with him and not on some camping trip and that made him happy.

Booth carried Brennan through his apartment and to his bedroom. There, he deposited her on the bed and turned to his bureau to get out a beater and boxers.

"Make yourself comfortable Bones." He said, leaving for the bathroom.

Brennan looked around the room, a soft smile on her lips. She would never, _ever, _admit it to him, but when Booth was acting in an alpha male way it was a serious turn on for her. She ran her fingers over the smooth fabric of his bedspread before sighing in pleasure and climbing into the bed. She was secretly pleased that Booth had come to collect her from the airport. And she was even more pleased that he seemed at ease with her being there, even if it had been his idea. Quite often he was prudish about these things and if she wasn't reading the situation completely wrong then it was quite probable that he had intentions on her tonight.

When the bathroom door opened and Booth emerged, Brennan was buried in the sheets and comfortable amongst the pillows. Booth grinned, enjoying that she was so at home, and flicked off the light. He made his way through the darkness and slipped into the bed. He felt Brennan move towards him and was surprised when he felt her hand slide across his chest, her leg hook over his and her head rest against his shoulder.

"You didn't wait for my reply." She said in a husky voice.

"Huh? Oh, about what side you sleep on?" Booth tried to keep his cool.

"Yes." Her fingers were trailing across the thin material of his beater, scratching his hard nipples through the fabric.

"Um…well what was it?"

"I prefer the middle, Booth. So you will have to forgive me if I get a little close."

_Good _God_! Was she serious?_

"Close is fine, Bones."

"Really?" she purred, her fingers trailing lower until the rested on the edge of his boxers.

"More than fine!" Booth grimaced at the high pitch of his voice. His cock was throbbing. He wanted nothing more than to roll over and make love to her right then and there. But he was also aware that she was tired, and sore.

"You still just want to go to sleep?" He asked carefully. He didn't want to come across as an ass.

"I can think of a few things I would like to do."

That was it. That was the end of his tether. He rolled over so that he was facing her and captured her lips with his. His tongue delved into her mouth, finding hers and joining them in a dance. His hips moved forward, pressing against her warmth and allowing her to feel his hardness. Brennan moaned against him, her body undulating tantalizingly.

"God, Bones, I want you!" He groaned, his hands tangling in her hair.

"I find that I am quite eager to have you inside me, Booth." Brennan replied, her fingers dipping beneath the soft cotton of his boxers and caressing his shaft. Booth almost choked on his tongue.

"We need to work on your pillow talk, Bones," he managed to grind out before he succumbed to her skilled hands and his face fell to the crook of her neck. She worked him slowly, her fingers massaging his straining flesh, collecting the pre come at his tip and working it into his erection. When Booth felt he could take it no longer his hands stilled her.

"Please, Bones, let me please you." He almost begged. Without waiting for her reply he pushed her onto her back. He followed, kissing her passionately, his lips trailing from her lips to her jaw, to her neck. He moved slowly down her body, making sure to lathe her breasts with his tongue. He pushed her shirt over her head and sucked her nipples, nipping them gently. Brennan undulated beneath him, driving him wild. Her moans were almost enough for him to lose his mind.

He swirled his tongue in her belly button, letting her know his intentions. Brennan's hands in his hair, pushing him downwards were enough permission for him. Hooking his fingers into her sweats he pulled them down her long creamy thighs, breath hitching at the beautiful sight before him.

He traced his tongue along her outer lips, dipping in to find her bundle of nerves. Brennan's body jackknifed off the bed and her fingers tangled in his hair almost painfully. Booth moved closer and devoured her, his tongue dipping into her juices, teasing her, playing with her clit until he brought her to a screaming orgasm.

He could still feel the trembling aftershocks rocket through her body as he moved upwards, kissing each beautiful breast as he went. When he found her lips they kissed passionately, pulling apart to gasp for breath.

"That was…" Brennan gasped, trying to find the right words.

"You enjoyed it?" Booth asked, looking up at her from under his lashes shyly.

"Oh yes. May I?" Brennan raised her eyebrows, gesturing to his hard length pressed painfully against his rock hard abs.

While Booth had dreamed about her lips on him, tasting him, bringing him to completion, there was something he wanted more, and he wasn't sure how long he would last.

"I'd rather be inside you," He admitted softly. Brennan's eyes widened.

"Oh."

And then she smiled. Pulling his face to hers she kissed him gently and moaned as his body covered hers. Her legs wrapped around him and she suddenly let out a hiss.

"You ok?" Booth asked, worry filling his chocolate brown eyes."

"Yes. Just my heels."

"Ok, I'll be gentle. I promise." He gave her a wolfish grin and dipped his head to kiss her again. He grabbed his cock and moved it through her wetness, dipping it against her clit and loving the little jolts that made her body do.

Finally they could take it no longer and Booth's eyes found hers. With a gentle thrust he joined them. Booth's groan drowned out Brennan's moan as her liquid heat engulfed him and their hips locked. He was unable to pause, even momentarily to allow her to adjust to his girth. His hips started a fierce thrusting and when he managed to open his eyes again he was glad to see that she was just as impassioned as he was.

"Booth…Booth….Booth…" Was a mantra tearing itself from her kiss swollen lips on every thrust. Booth's hand found her hip and pulled her tighter against him. He changed the angle of his thrusts and felt Brennan begin to shudder around him. A high keening filled the room and Booth felt Brennan tighten and tremble around his cock as she came, milking him. Booth growled as he buried his face in the crook of her neck and came hard.

They stayed that way, fused together, for several minutes as the power of their climaxes washed over them. Finally Booth found the energy to move and realized he was probably crushing her.

"You alright?" He asked, rolling to the side and pulling Bones against him. He placed a kiss on her lips and felt her snuggle into his warmth.

"Yes. That was quite satisfactory." She said with a smile.

"Satisfactory?" Booth feigned shock.

"Very pleasurable." Brennan mumbled, and Booth realized that sleep was overcoming her. He smiled and pulled her closer.

"That it was Bones."

"Tomorrow?" She managed, her unspoken question hanging in the air. Booth ran a hand through her hair.

"We'll worry about that then, Bones. So long as you aren't going on any more camping trips I'm happy to deal with a lifetime of tomorrows with you."

He felt her smile against his chest and drift off to sleep. Booth felt himself nodding off and realized that he, too, was grinning.


End file.
